10 Game Prequels Better Than The Original (According To Metacritic)
Rewinding the clock is no easy job. Not every video game publisher is capable of pulling a blockbuster prequel game that is just as good as the original, let alone being a much better game. Some titles may fall short, while others may struggle to live up to the bar that the previous game has set.
However, these titles are the exception. They are more than video games, but rather a piece of state-of-art. From the highly anticipated call back to the good days of the Old West to the PlayStation 2 cult classic, here are ten game prequels that are better than the OG, according to their Metascore.
10 The Warriors (84)
Taking place during the height of New York City's gang rivalry in the 1970s, Rockstar's 2005 game The Warriors takes players on a journey of a gang called The Warriors as they try to run their way to their home turf in one night after being accused of a murder they did not commit.
The Warriors is based on the classic cult movie of the same name, but it begins three months before the movie's event. Unfortunately, its movie version plunged into 65 Metascores, although it received a cult classic status years after its release.
9 Red Dead Redemption 2 (97) vs. Red Dead Redemption 1 (95)
This entry is more of a case of a close call because the first Red Dead Redemption game scored only less than two points behind Red Dead Redemption 2. It follows the story of Arthur Morgan and the notorious Van der Linde gang, and is set a couple of years before RDR1 during the Old West's declining era.
At first, Rockstar did not plan to release another Redemption game, but the warming reception upon the first game has changed their mind. Maybe that explains much why Arthur was never mentioned in the first game.
8 Half-Life: Alyx (93)
Just like the previous Redemption 2 entry, VR-powered Half-Life: Alyx is another case of a split decision. The game has 93 Metascores, while its predecessor, Half-Life 2, falls only three points behind Alyx. It centers around 19-year-old Alyx Vance, humanity's last hope of survival, and her fight against an evil alien race known as the Combine five years before the events of Half-Life 2.
The game was so well-made that it received a warm welcome from old Half-Life fans. So, maybe now is a good time to release the scrapped Half-Life 2: Episode Three, don't you think, Valve?
7 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (91)
Hailed as one of the greatest, most excellent prequels of all time, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater scores a whopping 91 Metascores. It serves as a prequel to all Metal Gear games, with the first title released in 1987.
Metal Gear Solid 3 takes players on a FOX operative, codenamed Naked Snake, and his journey on rescuing a Russian scientist, which is set 31 years before the 1987 game's events. With 3.6 million copies shipped worldwide in a year, Metal Gear Solid 3 was a massive commercial success.
6 Halo: Reach (91)
As a direct sequel to Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo: Reach is set in the year 2552 during the height of a fictional war between humanity and aliens. The Microsoft exclusive prequel scores 91 Metascores while the latter has 83 to its name. The game was highly successful that it marked a new milestone for the franchise, with over $200 million generated within the first day only, and that number still excludes the merchandise.
5 Deus Ex: Human Revolution (89)
This is another case of a close call, but it's still worth noting that Square Enix did wonders in rewinding the clock with Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It serves as a prequel to the original 2000 Deus Ex game and is set in 2027.
Story-wise, Human Revolution centers the story of an ex-SWAT, Adam Jensen, as he connects the dots between his scientists' disappearance. It also is a fantastic combination of stealth mechanism à la Assassin's Creed and gun-blazing thriller of Call of Duty, which makes this game even better than the original.
4 Assassin's Creed: Origins (81)
Contrary to most Assassin's Creed games that take place during the fourteenth or fifteenth century, Assassin's Creed: Origins is set during the old Ptolemaic Egyptian time between 49 to 44 BC; hence we call this 2017 game as a 'prequel.' The game lets players take the roles of Bayek, an Egyptian nomad, and the beginning of the formation of the Assassin's Brotherhood.
Upon its release, Assassin's Creed: Origins has sold more than ten million copies worldwide, which proved to be a massive success.
3 Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (86)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords is a prequel to Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace 1999 movie, which it's safe to say that the game does better on Metacritic (86) than the original film (51).
The Sith Lords is set between 4.000 years before The Phantom Menace around an exiled Jedi Knight. In this game, you're more than eager to confront your past and fight your way to defeat countless restless Sith and restore the Galaxy's fate.
2 Metroid Prime (97)
We can never make a list of top ten best prequel games and leave Metroid Prime off it. Released in 2002, Metroid Prime is set between the events of the original 1986 Metroid game and Game Boy 1991 exclusive, Metroid II: Return of Samus.
To sum up the story, Metroid Prime centers the younger version of our favorite interstellar bounty hunter, Samus Aran, and her attempt to find the missing links in the poisoned world of Tallon IV.
1 Sniper Elite III (71) vs. Sniper Elite V2 (66)
Lastly is 2019's Sniper Elite III (71), a prequel to its 2012 predecessor, Sniper Elite V2 (66). Set three years before V2, Sniper Elite III follows Karl Fairburne, the previous game's main protagonist, as he tries to put an end to Nazi's newest secret 'wunderwaffe' superweapon.
Even though both games met with mixed receptions from the critics, Sniper Elite III proved to be a slightly better game. The shooting and stealth systems feel alive and fantastic, even though some narratives may come across as bland and outdated.
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